CSW has learned that the three men accused of attacking, beating and stripping an elderly Christian woman in the village of Al-Karm in May 2016, have been acquitted on appeal.
The Court of Appeal issued its verdict on 9 January 2023, acquitting the men of the charges levelled against them. They were initially acquitted by a criminal court in December 2020, after repeated delays in Mrs Suad Thabet’s case. An appeal against that decision was rejected in January 2021, and this latest verdict from the Court of Appeal is final.
Mrs Thabet, who was 72 years old at the time, was attacked, beaten, and stripped in public by a mob on 20 May 2016 after her son was accused of having a relationship with a divorced Muslim woman. Her son was sentenced to two years in prison on charges of adultery on 27 July 2017. The sentence was reduced to one year in April 2018, and he was released on 11 October 2018.
Initial reports indicated that seven houses were completely burned down during the attack on Mrs Thabet, but it was subsequently confirmed that five had been destroyed. Three men were charged with disturbing public peace, inciting violence and stripping Mrs Thabet in public. They were each sentenced in absentia to ten years in prison by the criminal court in Beni Suef on 11 January 2020, but they appealed the verdict.
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights condemned the acquittal, stating that: ‘acquitting the accused sends a message that encourages attacks against women.’
CSW's Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘We are deeply disappointed that the perpetrators in Mrs Thabet’s case have been acquitted and that no-one has been held accountable for this appalling attack on an elderly woman and the sectarian attacks in Ashrouba village. As well as sending an ominous message with regard to gender-based violations, these incidents undermine the Egyptian constitution, the rule of law and the personal commitment of President al Sisi to end discriminatory practices against the Christian community. They also indicate to the Egyptian people as well as to the international community that religion-related impunity remains entrenched, including in the country’s highest court. We urge the Egyptian government to take decisive steps to ensure women are better protected, and that victims of sectarian attacks receive justice.’
In an unrelated development, a ‘customary’ reconciliation session was held in the village of Ashrouba in Bani Mazar, Minya Governorate on 14 January 2023 to resolve a sectarian dispute between Christian and Muslim villagers. The dispute stemmed from an argument between a Muslim Tuktuk driver and a Christian motorist, following which mobs allegedly attacked homes and shops belonging to Christians. Several homes were damaged, one shop was looted, at least 20 Christians were injured, and the local church was attacked, but no-one was arrested or held accountable.
Mervyn Thomas continued: ‘Reconciliation sessions are not an effective way of facilitating peaceful co-existence between religion and belief communities and generally serve to embolden perpetrators of sectarian violence, who face no real consequences for their actions. We urge the authorities in Minya to conduct a swift and full investigation into this incident, holding all those responsible for violence and looting to account, which is the first step towards ending the culture of impunity surrounding such incidents.’
Note to Editors:
- Reconciliation meetings are extra-judicial procedures commonly used to resolve sectarian disputes. A council of local ‘elders’ and dignitaries, sometimes accompanied by government officials, hear the arguments of the parties to a conflict, then issue a binding ruling. The meetings generally result in the imposition of ad-hoc and often unconstitutional conditions on victims of violence in lieu of the investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators of violence. With police and security services often present, representatives and families of the parties involved are then obliged to reconcile and sign documentation which closes the matter.